LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Two groups dedicated to helping people struggling with housing have joined forces to bring a small army of volunteers into a day-long donation organization event Tuesday morning.
Nevada has the ninth highest homeless rate in the nation, and Taylor Booth with HomeAid Southern Nevada said the work of volunteers is critical for ensuring donations actually reach the populations who need them.
"It's so important because Nevada does have such a large homeless population," she said standing in front of a mountain of donated clothes.
Booth partnered with Kaleah Tawatao and CARE Complex to get the large pile of donated clothing, including boots, dress clothes, shoes, pants and more, to a pop-up "shop" at CARE Complex where their clients can come in and pick any items they want from the sorted pile and take them for free.
Tawatao said the clothes are critical for helping her clients, people who are struggling with housing while working, either keep or find a job.
"Houselessness is a problem that everyone can face at one point in their life," she said. "They're one paycheck away from living on the streets."
HomeAid joined the partnership to bring care packages full of items critical for survival that many never think to donate to the pop-up event.
"People think about clothes, but they don't think about sunscreen," Booth said, "the sun, the heat out here in Las Vegas, it's vital."
The pop-up shop event is scheduled for July 10 at CARE Complex on Foremaster Lane.
For more information, people can go to the CARE Complex website or the HomeAid Southern Nevada website.